Criminal
by StrawberriBunnehz
Summary: Ichigo and Rukia are two of the most wanted criminals in the south. Their paths cross. Will sparks or bullets fly?


Ok. I uploaded this originally as a songfic. However, it came to my attention that they are _**very**_ disliked by people. Thus, I took it down, removed the lyrics and reposted it. Like any writer I want feedback on my story and if the phrase songfic was going to hinder that...

I don't mean to come off bitchy. Sorry if I do...

Now, I was inspired by Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars. :)

I don't own Bleach or the song Barton Hollow.

I hope more people can enjoy this version. :))

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><p>It was mid-day; the sun, at its highest point in the sky, beat down on him with its rays. It was unusually hot; Ichigo swore he'd sweat to death in this damn suit of his. It was made from some crappy fabric. Polyester maybe? Like he'd know or care. Whatever it was, it was burning him alive. It was also black, which only served to make the situation worse. He would rather wear normal, everyday clothes, but she always insisted they look their best while 'working'.<p>

Though, he suspected she merely liked seeing him in a suit.

Ol' Nashville was never _this _hot. At least as far as he remembered. He and his partner had taken extra caution in not going anywhere near that place after their job.

They, the police, had caught him. How he couldn't be quite sure, but he was now on his way to Nashville's police station. He'd be tried and sentenced. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if they killed him. Although, he hadn't done anything to warrant _that._ In all his jobs, he hadn't killed a single person and neither had she. They'd made sure of that.

The copper's grip on Ichigo's hands loosened as he shoved him into the back of his little Ford. He smiled at Ichigo.

"Finally got you. Now, we just need to find that little dame of yours. Should be easy." the man said as he slid into the front seat and put the key in the ignition. Ichigo grinned.

"I doubt that. She ain't just a looker. She's one hell of a grifter. 'Course I think you know that. She slipped away from you people countless times afore she met me." The man turned the key and the Model A's engine came alive. He pulled off the shoulder onto the road that headed into Nashville.

"She won't be smart _enough._ She'll be lookin' for you. Now that we have you in custody, she'll come right to us, thinking she can save you."

He didn't respond.

Ichigo sat in silence during the ride. The suit he was wearing was _really _uncomfortable. He wondered where his newsboy went; he must have lost it while on the run. Along with his car. He was gonna miss that thing. He hoped Rukia would find it.

_Rukia._

He also hoped she was as smart as he made her out to be. She _wasn't _stupid, but that didn't mean she wouldn't _do _something stupid. Especially if it involved him. He hoped she would see that things went wrong and how could one not? His car now had three bullet holes in its windshield… He hoped she'd take the car and drive back to Alabama, back to all that money they'd buried. The dirt was still on his hands.

They'd been planning to head to California with that money. They wanted to start over, end the life of running from the law.

Ichigo hoped she would still go.

In the wake of that stock market crash a few years ago and these damn dust storms, he wondered why more people hadn't taken up their 'career'.

Ichigo was lost in his thoughts as the policeman pulled up to the precinct and led him inside. He heard the jail cell close. He hadn't realized they had arrived.

"We'll be back with that filly of yours soon." said a man Ichigo new to be the sheriff as he locked the cell door.

Ichigo sat down against the stone wall and glared at the metallic bars in front of him. The cell was pretty damn small. There wasn't a guard.

But, he was still handcuffed. _Damn._

He closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the wall and hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>One and a half years earlier<strong>

_Ichigo didn't know he could run so fast until that moment. He felt the sack he slung over his shoulder beating against his back as he ran off the trail into the trees._

_ Did he just **rob** a store?_

_Yes. Yes he did. _

_And now he was pretty sure he could hear sirens._

_He didn't know what in hell possessed him to even **think **about robbing the store. He walked in only to buy a carton of milk, but when he saw the owner of the store counting all that money… There was at least fifty dollars in that cash register and in Ichigo's pocket, about three. Did the old guy really need it? He'd probably up and die soon anyway. So, he had exited the store, went around to the back alley, managed to find an old potato sack, and went back inside. And robbed the guy._

_He told him he had weapon. He didn't, but he learned that if you're going to rob people at least bring a gun or something. That old man had almost got a shot at Ichigo's head. **Damn old bastard…**_

_They'd caught him after a day or so. But not before he hid the money. He'd buried it in the woods; not far from a lake. He'd washed his hands of the clay-like dirt that had dried on his skin. They never found it._

_They sent him to be cleansed of his sin. _

_He pulled of a bank heist a month after that. He even stole a DeSoto Coupe that belonged to one of the banker's. He'd taken off its license plate and placed another in its place from some Chevy he found on the side of the road. _

_He was twenty-one years old._

* * *

><p><em> In the six months after that, he'd become a bit infamous. In the towns he'd traveled through, he saw artist sketches of himself on wanted posters or, rather, what they <strong>thought<strong> he looked like on wanted posters. He was careful to disguise his appearance. All one could see of him were his eyes. It took him a while to find a hat that could hide his spiky, orange hair and he also wore a handkerchief to hide his face. His eyes were a normal amber-brown; common enough to not spark any curiosity. They didn't even have his name._

_It was when he passed through a small town near Nashville, that he first saw it. _

_Ichigo rarely saw any wanted posters more than once. Any of the ones he saw placed on the boards in town squares he never saw again. The people on them were always caught. However, this time he noticed one he had seen many times before. The poster was pinned next to his. The paper was weathered far more than his, showing just how long she'd been on the run._

_She had deep, raven hair that fell just above her shoulders. A stray bang fell between her eyes stubbornly. Her eyes. The artist of this sketch took extra care in showcasing her eyes. They were a dark violet with hints of blue. Her skin was a milky white. She was beautiful. She looked like a porcelain doll. Breakable. Fragile. However, he knew that was not the case. She was a criminal, just like him._

_They didn't have her name. _

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><p><em>Rukia winced as a few rocks jabbed themselves into her feet. She'd left her shoes behind about a half mile back. Who in their right mind would run in <strong>heels<strong>? Soon, she felt the earth beneath her become soft as she entered the woods. The ground was all moss and mud. Dead leaves fell from above her eerily and they covered the ground like a blanket of snow. Dead, crunching, noise- making snow. How in hell can she be stealthy when her every step into the earth sounded like crunching bone?_

_They had dogs on her. She could hear their yelps and barks as they closed in on their target. They could hear her, without a doubt. She was a goner and she knew it. _**Big house here I come**_ she thought._

_It was a bad idea coming into Alabama. She heard about the man that had pulled a pretty big heist in one of the towns in Madison County. He had stolen ten grand and he was never caught. Rukia foolishly thought she could do even better. The bank had strengthened their security. They knew who she was, what she was going to do, and if it weren't for him…_

_Rukia had seen the wanted poster for him countless times and he wasn't much older than her; she'd memorized his features, what wasn't hidden anyway. Despite that, she remembered his eyes. She knew them when she saw them watching her from across the town square. Amber and violet met and she held his gaze for much too long. She wasn't sure what happened in those moments, but it was enough. One of the guards had noticed her and the chase began._

_The trees began to become scarce as she ran and soon she could see water through the gaps. She had heard that entering streams or rivers could throw a dog of one's scent. She hoped they were right._

_ When she exited the trees, she saw that, luckily for her, it was flowing slowly. She didn't hesitate as she jumped into the river._

_After evading the dogs, she'd run a good few miles until she found the lake through which the river flowed. Rukia couldn't believe her luck when she found a small shack near the lake. She lied in there the entire night unable sleep._

_Sometime during the early morning, Rukia's eyes slipped shut, unable to fight the fatigue._

* * *

><p><em>She didn't stir as he walked into the shack. He waited.<em>

_When Rukia woke, it wasn't his face, his orange hair, his devilish grin, not even his amber irises she noticed first; it was the C96 Mauser Pistol in his hand._

_Her hand had, on reflex, reached down to her side. _

_She didn't have her gun. _**Shit. **_She had dropped that too._

_"Can I ask you something?" he questioned as he twirled the pistol in his hands. "Why are you here? Answer me unless you want a bullet through your forehead." _**Like I'd do that**_he thought._

_She backed away from him, to the other side of the shack. Which wasn't far, he was still only two feet away. _

_"You're the man from the square! The one that robbed the bank before I did." she said._

_"Correction," Ichigo smirked. "I'm the man who robbed the bank **you **couldn't rob." He laughed._

_"I've heard quite a bit about you." he continued. "You're smart. Really smart. One of the best in the 'business'. But, you really slipped up. Stupidly. You don't openly gawk at someone for so long in public. People noticed you in seconds. At least cover up those pretty eyes of yours. Their a dead giveaway. Idiot. And the gun you had? Hide it, dumbass."_

_Rukia didn't know whether to blush at his compliments or kick his face in. She didn't give a damn that he had a gun. Asshole._

_"What makes you think you can talk that way to me?"she yelled._

_"I have a gun. You don't. Simple."_

_Treating her safety with disregard, Rukia punched him._

_"I could still kick your ass!" she yelled her face now inches from his. Ichigo grinned again. **She's a feisty one.**_

_Rukia registered their close proximity too late. She heard his gun drop from his grip. Ichigo's hand seized her wrist, his other arm came to circle her waist. He tugged on her hand and pulled her closer. Their mouths were not an inch apart._

**_He wouldn't. _**_Rukia thought. **He just met me and he was threatening to kill me a minute ago! **_

_He wanted to kiss her. He didn't know why but he did._

_Ichigo moved his hand from the small of her back to her raven locks, gripping them. He didn't know her at all. All he knew of her was her criminal record. He didn't even know her name. But, he wanted to know, **needed **to know. He wanted to know everything about her. He gently pushed her toward him and captured her lips with his._

_Rukia stiffened. She fought against his grip in vain. His lips stayed on hers, unmoving, as she struggled to free herself. Her attempts at moving away became more and more half-hearted as he began to slowly move his lips against hers. They were so soft and warm… _

_She gave in and leaned into the slow kiss. Their lips melded together. Pushing and brushing against each other like they'd done it thousands of times before. Her heart sped up. Rukia moved to deepen the kiss, her free hand gripped his shirt._

_Ichigo pulled away before she could. A whimper escaped Rukia's mouth when their lips parted. She didn't bother to hide her blush. Didn't he want it first? She refused to meet his eyes as he spoke._

_His voice held a nervous tone and his breath was shaky. It had taken a lot for him to stop himself from tossing her on the floor. He released his hold on her and he watched as she backed away. She didn't meet his gaze. They sat in an awkward silence._

_"So..."_

_"I needed a place to hide. They probably found my car and all my stuff by now. I had nothing to go back to. So, I stayed here." she answered his earlier question. "I'm, um, sorry." She met his gaze for a second but turned away._

_"First, it's okay. You were scared. And second, how would you like to be my partner?"_

_Rukia's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"_

_Ichigo smirked. "Partners. Me and you. You and I. You've lost all you've managed to obtain and I'm willing to share what I have. I can't just leave you on your own."_

_"I can take care of myself." she said stubbornly. _

_"Their bound to find you. It's only a matter of time before you're locked up." Ichigo sighed. "Please."_

_Rukia finally met his gaze. She smiled._

_"My name's Rukia. Kuchiki Rukia." she stated as she held her hand out to him. Ichigo returned her smile and grasped her hand in his. He noted to himself how perfectly it fit._

_"Kurosaki Ichigo." he said._

* * *

><p><em>They worked like a well-oiled machine. Ichigo was the muscle, using brute force and his skill with weapons to pull off their jobs. He was an excellent shot and he wasn't afraid to get a little roughed up. Rukia was the strategist. She knew how to work her way in. Being the great actress she was she was, able to fool so many into believing her sweet girl act.<em>

_They kept their jobs in Alabama mostly. They returned to the hollow to bury the money each time. Over their year together, they had grown close. Neither of them knew if they ever wanted to split up. They weren't just partners in crime. They were friends. They never wanted to leave each other's side._

_They hadn't kissed since that first time. Why hadn't they? They both wondered. But, neither broached the subject._

_It was after eleven months of partnership, when Nashville and California came into play. The years of being on the run had begun to take their toll. Rukia wanted to be normal again. _

_"How much do we have buried?" she asked as they lied side by side on the shack floor._

_"Um. Fifty thousand." he answered._

_"Let's get to one hundred."_

_"We will. Eventually." Ichigo chuckled. He wrapped his hand around hers._

_'On our next job. Let's steal fifty thousand." Rukia said._

_"What's the rush? We have a long time to get there."_

_"I want to go to California."She turned to look at him. "I want to stop. I want to be normal."_

_"Rukia."_

_"Please. Come with me. We can…" She bit her lip. How could she say it?_

_"We can… What?" He asked, puzzled. Rukia turned her body to face him. She inched close to him. Their lips close once again. _

_"**Partners.**" She put emphasis on the word. "Me and you. You and I." She repeated his words and then, placed her lips on his. She hadn't realized how much she wanted this. She pulled away as red spread across her cheeks._

_Ichigo looked at her in surprise. "You mean you want to get mar-?" He couldn't say it._

_"Don't you want to?"She asked in a whisper. Ichigo answered by taking her lips again._

_They fell into synch again; their mouths meshed together at a slow pace. But, Rukia wasn't having that again. Her hands found his hair and she gripped it tightly as she deepened the kiss._

_Ichigo let his hands slide down her arms to her hips. He licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance and her mouth opened for him. They explored each other, relishing in the others taste as they battled for dominance. Ichigo pulled away and began to assault her neck. He began at her ear, nipping her ear lobe. Rukia let out a whimper. He trailed kisses and bites down her neck, marring her skin. The marks were sure to appear by morning._

_He stopped at her collarbone, pressing his lips to her milky skin. He looked up at her. Their eyes met. All could be said in one glance. Their breathing was ragged and fast and they shone with sweat._

_Rukia pulled Ichigo in for another searing, passionate kiss and began to unbutton his shirt._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning, they planned what would be their last heist. They had mainly targeted small banks in small towns. But, if they wanted fifty grand, they would need to go bigger. Nashville wasn't too far away. <em>

_They walked into the bank with a cool air about them. Ichigo was dressed in a black striped suit and his newsboy. Rukia was clad in her favorite black dress and heels. They could be easily mistaken for a tycoon of sorts and his wife._

_Rukia spoke to the one teller who was open. She batted her eyes at the older man, making small talk as Ichigo located the vault. She waited for his signal. _

_And drew her gun._

* * *

><p><em>Ichigo and Rukia fled the bank with smiles on their faces. It was over.<em>

_They'd gone back to the hollow dig up the rest of the money. They had one hundred grand._

_It wasn't long until they heard the dogs._

* * *

><p>Ichigo let out a sigh. They had managed to evade the cops for awhile but, they got a little reckless. Eventually giving in to temptation and pulling other jobs. He was just glad she wasn't in this cell with him. He'd been locked up for almost 24 hours now.<p>

He could hear voices outside the precinct doors.

_Please no._

The same cop that had arrested Ichigo walked in through the double doors. With Rukia cuffed. She was covered in dirt and mud. Her shirt was painted with specks of blood. He hoped it wasn't hers. She looked horrible and she wouldn't look him in eye. It was over. California was a long lost dream. He and Rukia could _never _be normal.

He locked Rukia in the cell with Ichigo. He laughed. An I-told-you-so look written on his face. Rukia still refused to look at him. They sat in silence again as the room emptied and night fell.

"Rukia."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked. Everything was his fault.

"I didn't come sooner." She whispered.

"What?" Rukia finally looked at him. Her eyes bright with laughter; a grin spread across her face.

She turned her back to him and he watched as a ring of keys slid down her arm and appeared at her wrist, slightly hidden by her shirt.

Ichigo grinned.

"I'm not a rookie." She stated.

"And my car?" he asked.

"They took it."

"Damn. Then how are we getting away?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia's grin grew wider.

She gestured to her other wrist where another key dangled.

"It's a Chevy StreetRod. It's a few blocks away. Parked in front of the church I hid the money in." Ichigo chuckled and he began to maneuver the keys to unlock the cuffs.

"So. Where to next?" he asked.

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><p>Better? I hope so! XD<p>

im proud of this i really liked the kissing scenes first ones ive ever done where i was kinda detailed

can anyone tell im a slight autophile?

Reviews are appreciated. yu get cookehz again (^_^)O

S.B


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